A national writer, in a recent articleassesses the chances of Syracuse basketball and other teams with first-year head coaches making the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2023-24 season.
247Sports’ Isaac Trotter looked at 12 top programs with new head coaches, including Orangeand divided them into contenders, dark horses and long shots when it comes to their Big Dance 2024 hopes.
The ‘Cuse begins its 2023-24 campaign, with head coach Adrian Autry taking the reins from Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim on Monday, November 6, as Syracuse Basketball. will face New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Trotter calls the Orange a “dark horse” to earn an invitation to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, after a two-year absence from March Madness for the ‘Cuse, although he has positive things to say about them. Autry and his list for the upcoming verse.
A national expert weighs in on Syracuse basketball and next spring’s Big Dance.
In his article, Trotter discusses various topics related to the Orange, and these topics are familiar to Syracuse basketball fans.
The first is how Autry will change the team’s playing styles from what Boeheim was often known for, and that includes using a man-to-man defense, having multiple guards/wings on the court at the same time, push the ball in transition and play at a fast pace.
Trotter explains how the ‘Cuse backcourt is loaded with talent, led by sophomore point guard Judah Mintz and sophomore guard JJ Starlinga native of Central New York who spent his freshman year at Notre Dame.
Autry and his assistants brought back junior forward Benny Williams, along with the team’s six rookies in 2022. While the Orange lost several guys to the transfer portal, namely center Jesse Edwards to West Virginia and guard Joe Girard III to Clemson, the ‘Cuse brought in four transfers of its own in Starling, junior center Naheem McLeod from Florida State, Auburn sophomore guard Chance Westryand redshirt sophomore guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. of Kansas.
With Westry out indefinitely with a lower body injury, Syracuse Basketball still possesses strong depth in the backcourt and also in other position groupsas Trotter notes.
I like what the 247Sports national writer said here. “If Kansas transfer Kyle Cuffe shows up and Auburn defector Chance Westry can get healthy, Syracuse has a real advantage to be more than just an NCAA Tournament team. …The ACC begs for another team to join Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Clemson and Virginia. There’s no excuse for Syracuse not to force its way into the mix. »
I completely agree with Trotter’s last statement.
